Can I make 40-45K 1st yr OTR?

Sure, if you give up some minor luxuries like hometime, sleep, showers, food, etc, etc.

Seriously, IF you get into the right company, and IF you work your butt off, and IF you don't whine, snivel, and complain, and IF you never turn down frieght no matter what (other than legal reasons, of course), then you MIGHT acheive your desired first year income. But I wouldn't count on it, especially under the current economic conditions. Because even if you meet each and every one of these conditions, you still need freight. And freight is still real slow. Remember, if the truck ain't rollin you ain't earing. And even in a good OTR outfit you may not be able to consistantly keep the truck rolling. I'm out!

 

stay with your job........

 

I could give you a long drawn out answer but I won't, the answer is NO!

 

####, who's selling these people on the idea that truck drivers are a bunch of high-paid gypsy/tourists?

 

The companies, of course. Get Paid, Get Home, Get Respect! I don't remember which company this was, but I remember seeing this on the backs of trailers rolling down the road. Plus there were the Schneider commercials playing in my area awhile back that showed some poor desk jockey who was disatisfied with his job seeing some Schneider driver (obviously an actor) who was loving life. Images like that are pretty powerful in our TV driven culture.

 

Yes......................but don't tell everybody. Then they'll all want to be truckers!!

 

I just posted this to a writer in another thread, but it seems to suit this one also.
No it does not talk about the money too much, but it makes the point.
Sorry to all of you that happen to read it in both lol.

We all must work.
I know I am pretty hard on new drivers at times.
Mostly it is when they do not seem to be listening. Actually most that really frustrate me are not even in this thread, but in threads for other company's, that have even worse reputations.
When they talk about all the research they have done, and how they believe xyz company is the one for them.
Most of the time you can see that there research was only of a few company recruitment web sites, and not from listening to drivers at those company's.

Trucking has lost a couple hundred thousand jobs in the last 2 years.
These jobs are gone. They will not come back for at least a few years, as freight comes back and other company's buy more trucks to deal with raised demand.
There are tens of thousands of extra trucks and drivers on the road right now. It will take a massive rebound, and exponential growth in the economy before we need any more trucks or drivers.
Forget the myth of a driver shortage. It has not happened in the history of this country. It may happen in the future, but to date has never happened.
Company's push the idea of a shortage so that they can get more trucks on the road, and can pay each driver less money. Because lets face it, if there was a shortage then they would have to pay us much much better than they do now.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s we were not too much over capacity on drivers. Company's had to work a little to find drivers. At that time pay was still low, but actually better than now, when looking at the rate of inflation. Also drivers were given rather large bonuses for attending orientation for company's, and very large bonuses for working for company's.
Those days have been gone for a while, maybe they will eventually come back.

I am not saying all of this to try and talk new drivers out of entering the field. Just to hopefully open their eyes a little. The economy is down.
This recession is the worse in 20 years.
Trucking however has been hit harder than it has ever been hit. In the history of trucking in this country. It is almost the worse field to be entering out of any, in any field.
You will be a number.
You will be just another body holding that steering wheel for a while and warming that seat.
Some of you will make it, and in a few years can be called a truck driver.
Most will not last that long, and will fade away.

If you are coming into trucking for your family. I hope you and them can be ok with not seeing each other for a month or more at a time. Sending home just a couple hundred dollars a week after your expenses.
It is the reality. Be ready for it. If you have kids you will miss them growing up. Think of it as a prolonged military deployment. You will have just as much chance of injury as any soldier we have over seas. I would almost hazard a guess that the chance is higher, and the pay is lower. Since we get no hazard pay.
I do not have children. I could not deal with driving if I did.

I will get off my soap box now.
Just any and all of you looking at this field as a saving grace. The way to get your family out of debt. The method of moving up and living the good life, to please look at the facts. Not the fiction of the recruiters and company web sites.
Trucking use to be a good middle class field. For some it still is. For many though it is not. Maybe this will change in a few years. I can always hope.
I drive because it is what I love doing. My wife makes enough money to pay all our bills. So when I have a bad month, or as in the last year a bad year, we are OK.
I am just lucky in that.

Just please please look at all your options before you jump in.
If you still think it is the way to go, then good luck.
To all new drivers looking to come into the field, I wish you the best and hope it is all you hope it to be.

 

However, I should add, you may want to wait a couple of years, at least !!

 

yup, its possiable, i did, cleared 68k my first 9 months, out all week, home every single weekend worked only 9-5, didnt bust my hump at all, and hell, lots of times only drive 150 miles a day.... but as the first reply says, finding the right company is key...

( side note--i didnt make 68k this past year, i made way less )